RJHS volleyball bested by ConwayThe Russellville Lady Whirlwinds lost 14-25, 23-25 on Monday inside Whirlwind Gymnasium to the Conway White Lady Wampus Kittens. Meg Atchison had six points and one kill. Kasey Heath had five points. Abbey Allen had three kills and one block. Ava Jane McNeill had two kills and four blocks. Emmy Hipps had two points and an ace. Britt Hillis had two points and an ace. Kate Lane had one point and an ace. The eighth grade team won 21-25, 25-22, 15...

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Courier sports staffThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Apaches give Rust 100th coaching victoryLITTLE ROCK — With the homecoming crowd behind them, the Arkansas Baptist Eagles gave the Pottsville Apaches all they wanted in the first half Friday night. But Pottsville pulled away in the second half and earned a 35-14 conference win and high school football win No. 100 for head coach Brian Rust. “It was an ugly win for us. But on the road in conference play, we will definitely take it,” Rust said. “I’m proud of the way our guys came out in...

Pirates stumble against SenatorsLITTLE ROCK — The Dover Pirates were thumped by the Pulaskit Robison Senators on Friday 40-7. The Pirates (4-1, 1-1 4A-4 Conference) averaged 50 points in their first four contests and held their opponents to a touchdown each. John Srutka scored Dover's lone touchdown with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter from three yards out with the Mercy Rule already in effect. The Senators (5-0, 2-0) led 21-0 after the first quarter and 33-0 at halftime. Pu...

Cyclones held off scoreboard by GreenwoodThe Russellville Cyclones lost to the Greenwood Bulldogs 35-0 on Friday at Cyclone Stadium. The Cyclones (1-4, 0-2 7A/6A-Central Conference) had some success offensively but potent drives seemed to lose steam on the opposite side of the 50 — two fumbles, an interception and a sack for a loss of 13 yards all ended drives that had, up until that point, done exactly what they were designed to do: move the football. Greenwood (5-0, 2-0) shutout th...

Clarksville falls on homecomingCLARKSVILLE — After starting optimistically with a helicopter landing on the 50-yard line, the Clarksville Panthers homecoming ended with a 41-26 loss to the Maumelle Hornets on Friday at Metheny Field. After a four-play drive in their own backfield, Clarksville turned the ball over to Maumelle, who responded with a five-play, 26-yard drive which resulted in the first touchdown of the game. The PAT was good, bringing the score to 7-0 for Maume...

Visiting Lamar rolls past Mansfield by 30MANSFIELD — The Lamar Warriors rocketed past the Mansfield Tigers 50-20 on Friday. Dusty Wilkins opened the scoring after scooping up a fumbled punt for a 28-yard touchdown. Blake Kern hit the PAT kick to make it 7-0 with 10:04 left in the first quarter. Hunter Davenport struck next with a 60-yard pass to Austin Hency. Kern added the PAT to make it 14-0 with 5:50 left in the first quarter. Wilkins made it 21-0 with 1:10 left in the first quart...

Sand Lizards overcome mistakes, defeat ClintonCLINTON — Dardanelle Sand Lizards head coach Josh Price was happy to escape Clinton with a 35-7 win, even one the coach described as being “sloppier than he would have liked.” “We had some special teams miscues,” he said. “It wasn’t as smooth as it should have been, but it was good enough for a win. We are very proud of our kids to go on the road at Clinton and win. Clinton is a tough place to play.” Dardanelle (5-0, 2-0 4A-4 Conference) went ...

Wildcats rout Magazine on homecomingBY TRAVIS SIMPSON sports@couriernews.com HECTOR — The Hector Wildcats won big on homecoming over the Magazine Rattlers on Friday at Linton Field. Wildcats head coach Mark Taylor said the coaching staff just about everything in their power to prevent the enormously lopsided 67-14 scoreboard, but it was to no avail. “They just laid down and quit in the second half,” Taylor said. “Nothing I could do about that. We played second string all second ...

Big plays carry Marianna Lee to 54-29 win over Red DevilsATKINS — Trailing 22-20 at halftime, the Red Devils needed some homecoming heroics, and their defense came through by slowing down the Marianna Lee Trojans to take a 22-20 lead in the third quarter. But the visiting Trojans made too many big plays, and Marianna Lee’s Jermarcus Arnold scored four touchdowns as they left Sorrels Stadium at Lemley Field with a 54-29 conference win Friday night. The Trojans (4-1, 2-0 3A-2 Conference) took an 8-0 l...

Whirlwinds downed in overtimeWhen Drake Adkins hit the 1-yard line — that was it. It was the end of the first overtime. The Conway Junior Wampus Cats had scored a 2-point conversion on their possession, and the Russellville Whirlwinds needed to do the same to push the game to a second overtime. Adkins fell on the 1, and the Whirlwinds lost 22-20 on Thursday at Cyclone Stadium. The Whirlwinds (3-2, 2-1 River Valley Central Conference) went up 14-0 in the first half on a pa...

Wildcats to host Rattlers for homecoming gameHECTOR — There are two things Wildcats head coach Mark Taylor embraces — defending a 21-game 2A-4 Conference winning streak and celebrating homecoming on Friday against the Magazine Rattlers. “A lot of alumni come back on homecoming,” Taylor said. “I always tell our kids that. A lot of people will only see them play this one time per year, so they need to leave the best impression they can. It’s something we embrace and we get excited about.” ...

Dover expecting Robinson to be difficult, manageableDOVER — Pirates head coach Greg Smith admits the Pulaski Robinson Senators may be the Pirates’ biggest challenge so far this year. But their biggest test? Hardly. “Every week is a big test,” Smith said. “Subiaco was a test because we were missing three starters. In this conference, you have to pass this test every Friday. It’s not a pushover conference. Every Friday you bring your A-game, or you get left behind.” The Senators (4-0, 1-0 4A-4 Co...

Sand Lizards seek win on the roadDARDANELLE — Sand Lizards head coach Josh Price said he wants to make sure his team knows the Clinton Yellow Jackets present a greater threat than their 1-3 record suggests. “They are a very well-coached, run-oriented team,” he said. “They run that Wing-T, and they are a lot better at their home field. We have got to get mentally prepared to play.” Dardanelle (4-0, 1-0 4A-4 Conference) hasn’t struggled to play on the road or at Keenan Field so...

Goates awarded All-State honorsFAIRFIELD BAY — The Dover Pirates and Lady Pirates golf teams each placed third in the 4A-4 District Tournament recently at Mount Ranch Golf Club. The Pirates fell short of second place by three strokes. Three golfers qualified as individuals to compete at the state tournament — Mallory Goates, Greg Wooten and Kyle Chenowith. The Lady Pirates participated in the Class 4A State Tournament at the Country Club of Arkansas in Maumelle on Monday, w...

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Courier sports staffThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Russellville preps for unbeaten BulldogsForget the giant letter ‘G’ on the side of the Russellville Cyclones opponent’s helmet on Friday at Cyclone Stadium. Forget about their three state titles and 50-game win streak that ended in the 2013 state championship game. That’s what Cyclones first-year head coach Billy Dawson wants his team to do. The Greenwood Bulldogs are just another team — albeit it a very good one — and other teams can be beaten. “Greenwood does a really good job at ...

RHS tennis competes at GreenwoodGREENWOOD — The Russellville Cyclones and Lady Cyclones tennis team traveled to Greenwood for their final away match of the year. The Cyclones lost 2-3, while the Lady Cyclones split 2-2. “The team is definitely playing better,” Russellville head coach Bill Rowlett said. “The matches were close. The Cyclones must find a way to win the decisive points.” Results Cyclones Kenny Sweeny defeated Peyton Golden (RHS) 6-0, 6-1 Siam Hooks (RHS) defeate...

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Lady Whirlwinds volleyball splits with Conway BlueThe Russellville Lady Whirlwinds volleyball team fell 15-25, 25-23, 9-15 to Conway Blue on Monday. Abby Allen had 10 points, one ace. Kasey Heath had six points. Kate Lane had four points and an ace. Sofia Moreno had three points. Ava Jane McNeill had one kill and two block. Emmie Hipps had two points. Meg Atchison had one kill. The eighth grade team defeated Conway 26-28, 25-10, 15-12. Gracie Black had 10 points, three aces and a kill. Gracie...

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Dream Team ready for 2015 seasonPOTTSVILLE — David Beck nearly gave up on Dream Team Boxing prior to the 2015 season. Beck said things weren't going well. The program wasn't growing like he wanted. The outdoor boxing ring was in shambles and all efforts to secure an indoor space fpr the team had failed. Beck said he sat in the field near the ring and began to pray. "I asked God what He wanted me to do," Beck said. "More or less, He told me that all these years I had God behi...

AppreciationThis is to express my appreciation to the RSD, the athletic department, and the RHS homecoming committee for allowing me to serve as an honorary game captain for Friday’s game against Bryant. Having played my last game for the Red and Black some 44 years ago, I can think of no greater honor for a former Cyclone. But just as football is a team sport, this honor is something to be shared with all coaches, players and student managers from the 19...